LASSCO Brunswick House – SE22 Piano School ~ East Dulwich

About the South London Concert Series

Launched in November 2013, the South London Concert Series is an innovative concert concept which showcases young and emerging professional musicians (primarily pianists). The series is unique as it also offers performance opportunities to non-professional and talented amateur pianists and other musicians by giving them the chance to perform alongside professionals in the same formal concert setting.

Founded and curated by harpsichordist and piano teacher Lorraine Liyanage and pianist, piano teacher and classical music blogger Frances Wilson, the series has been praised for its unique and accessible approach to music making, combining quality chamber music with conviviality to recreate the ethos and atmosphere of the nineteenth-century European cultural salon. Concerts are held in intimate and unusual venues, while programmes have a special focus on lesser-known and rarely-performed repertoire. Audience members have the chance to meet the artists after the concert and to socialise with other music lovers.

Photo by James Eppy

2014/15 SEASON

12 December 2014 – Ernest So, piano, at the 1901 Arts Club. A concert with a special accent on lesser-known Russian romantic repertoire, including works by Bortkiewicz and Medtner. Ernest is joined by supporting artists Mark Heller, Petra Chong, Clio Chu and Claire Hansell in music by Mompou, Rachmaninoff and Ireland. Buy tickets

22nd January 2015 – Frances Wilson at LASSCO Brunswick House, Vauxhall, SW8. The South London Concert Series returns to the opulent setting of the Saloon at Brunswick House, a magnificent Georgian mansion which is home to an eclectic collection of antiques and salvaged curiosities. Join SLCS Artistic Director Frances Wilson and supporting artists Rob Foster, Petra Chong, Jose Luis Gutierrez Sacristan, Lorraine Banning and Lee Varney for a concert of piano music by Debussy, Schubert, Messiaen, Shostakovich, Menotti, Rachmaninoff and more, plus the world premiere of Preludes for piano by Matthew Sear. Early Bird tickets now available. Buy tickets

21 May 2015 – Notes&Notes with Glenn Kesby, counter tenor, at LASSCO Brunswick House, Vauxhall, SW8. We return to the opulent and eclectic surroundings of LASSCO Brunswick House for a concert and talk with Australian counter tenor Glenn Kesby. Programme TBA. Buy tickets

Piano Recital at Lassco Brunswick House

When I am not teaching, I have lots of musical ventures on the go – performing as a harpsichordist, organising the Dulwich Piano Festival and curating the South London Concert Series (SLCS) with my piano teaching colleague Frances Wilson. SLCS is a series of concert mixing contemporary classical music with socialising in unique and unusual venues in London. Here are a few photos and videos from the event so you can get an idea of what we do!

SE22 Piano School Spring Recital at Lassco Brunswick House

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This write-up of the event is courtesy of Frances Wilson and originally appeared on her blog, The Cross-Eyed Pianist.

A stag with an impressive set of antlers surveys the room, while a white-tuxedo’d Tony Curtis keeps watch over the proceedings from his niche in a corner near the piano, a John Hopkinson baby grand with a rosewood case. Glittering chandeliers hang from the ceiling, illuminating the exposed brickwork on two walls of the room and highlighting the colours of the stained glass panels in the elegant sash windows. Exotic oriental rugs are draped over vintage British Rail first class seats, and at the back of the room, a glass cabinet is filled with antique pharmacy jars. Welcome to Brunswick House, part of the London Architectural Salvage and Supply Co, a Georgian mansion just five minutes from London’s Vauxhall Station, flanked by the brand new 5-star hotel and luxury apartments of One Nine Elms. Brunswick House is a treasure trove of antiques and salvaged curiosities, and on Thursday night last week, it provided a wonderful and eclectic venue for a fine evening of music making and conviviality.

Lorraine Banning, Frances Wilson & Lorraine Liyanage (and Tony Curtis) at Brunswick House

“A superb evening – huge fun was had with a mix of musical genres in a delightfully decrepit and stylish Georgian mansion. Best of luck promoting these salon recitals, the way music is meant to be played and heard.”

Rosalind, audience member

The concert was part of the South London Concert Series, and featured a recital by BBC Music Magazine’s “rising star” Emmanuel Vass, together with supporting performances by three talented members of the London Piano Meetup Group, who despite not being “professional” pianists, played with equal poise, musical sensitivity and professionalism. The diverse programme matched the unusual setting, with music by Bach, Chopin, Turina, and Mozart together with Emmanuel’s own transcriptions of pop songs by Queen and The Prodigy. In keeping with the SLCS ethos of recreating the nineteenth-century musical salon, an hour of music was followed by much conversation and socialising in the ante-room next to the Saloon, and continued downstairs in the restaurant adjacent to the house.

“The South London Concert Series is both innovative and traditional. Events blend an appreciation of fine music and music making with conviviality, and blur the artificial distinctions between professional and amateur”

James Lisney, international concert pianist

The final SLCS concert of the 2013/14 season is on Friday 16th May at the 1901 Arts Club. Entitled ‘Eastern Accents’, the concert includes music from Russia and Japan, and features a performance by guest artist Vatche Jambazian. Further details/tickets here

April’s Hot Ticket! Emmanuel Vass at LASSCO Brunswick House

Inside LASSCO Brunswick House with Emmanuel Vass

A concert of music by Turina, Liszt and Granados, and transcriptions of songs by The Prodigy performed by “rising star” of the piano, Emmanuel Vass, at one of London’s most unique and quirky venues, Brunswick House. The performance will take place in the opulent Saloon room. Tickets include a glass of prosecco on arrival.

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